Stringed musical instrument.



G. T. LEWIS.

STBINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Patented May 11, 1909.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 17, 1908.

TORNE Y.

INVENTOR. Gaorye 7 Zea/:15 M AT WITNESSES WZW ha NORRIS psrsks co., WASHINGTON, D. c. I

UNTTEB GEORGE T. LEWIS, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO FLOREYUE M. WILLIAMS AND MAX RISER, BOTH OF SEATTLE, \YASHIIIGIOR.

STRINGED MYUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE T. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of i i ashington, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is specification.

This invention relates to stringed musical instruments.

The object of the invention is to provide an instrument of moderate cost and which may be made to produce, even when played upon by novice, exceedingly sweet and harmonious nirsic and whereupon the treble and accompaniments are coincidently performed by a single player.

The invention consists in the novel arrangement and disposition of the arious strings together 'ith devices which are pre dctorminately actuated to strike certain of such strings to effect a piano-like accompaniment which is OOll'lOilflGlltlY carried on with the use of all or a portion of the remaining strings.

in the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a musical instrument constructed to embody the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through 2-2 of 1. Fig. 3 is fragmentary longitudinal view taken tl'irough of Fig. 2 and representing two of the key actions, whereof one is in operative and the other is in inoperative position. Fig. 4 is a perspective vie of the preferred form of sticl: employed in the playing of the instrument.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates the shell or body of the instrument which is hollow and provided with one or more openings 5 in the top or sound board 5 l creel.

6 represents a bar arranged longitudinally of the body in proximity to the side 7 next the performer. This bar is chambered, as at 6, and extends somewhat beyond the head end of the body and is rigidly secured to the body and also to the instrument neck 8. In the top, or finger board, 9 of said bar and along the side which is adjacent to the operator are a plurality of spaced frets 10, while near the tail-end the bar is provided with a depression which is indicated by 6 Five strings are extended lengthwise over he bar 6, two of them, 11, being disposed above said frets and the other three, 12, are positioned in spaced. relation to be above the bar in proximity to the other side. Hitch-pins i4 and tuning pegs 1-5 are respectively provided at the tail end and in the nccl for the securenient of he string ends and gr dusting their tension to afford the desired tones.

Over the sound board 5 the instrument is provided with strings arranged in couples, as 16, 16, 16', which are strung between the hitch-pins 17 and the tuning-pegs 18. lmmedistely below the aforesaid couples of strings are apertures 19 disposed to be in such relation that the hammers 20 accoininodated therein will, when actuated, all'ect the several such strings to produce an extended range of ch01 whic will be in harmony with the mus? attainable rrom the strings 11 and i2 wren conjointly manipulated, as will be hereinafter explained. These hammers are each conne od to the longer arm 21 of individual levers which are (33.0?1 fulcrumed by pin to a support 23 secured to and extending downwardly from the sound-burial 5, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The shorter arii 21 of each such lever bears a k y 24 which extends upwardly into an aperture 25 provided in the ringer-board. The lengths of these keys are such that their upper ends will, through the excess weight of the longer arms and the connected hammers, be protruded above the top of the linger- )oard, as shown at the right hand side of F 3, w iere the key 24 and its associated parts are represented in normal positions. The upper extremities of the keys 24 are formed to be convex and desirably by shaping the same so that each may have two faces 24 which respectively slope downwardly from a medial plane toward the opposite ends of the instrument.

A stick, Fig. l, is provided for the left hand of the performer wherewith the fingering of the strings at the various frets as well as the playing of the hammers upon the sev eral chord strings is effected through influencing the keys 24. This stick 25, as illustrated, is of a substantially cylindrical form, of about the diameter of lead pencil, and is shaped to provide near one end the flattened surfaces 25 and 25 upon diametrically opposite sides whereby a rest for the thumb is had upon the top and a relatively wide surface afforded beneath to affect the strings and keys in the playing of the instrument.

The stick 25 is grasped between the fingers and thumb of the performers left hand and is caused to press down upon the strings 11 at or near the various frets according to the tones which are to be rendered through the picking of the strings with he right hand in the playing of the music; and in the progress of the piece by properly bearing down upon the stick the keys 24 may be encountered and thus depressed to have the hammers strike the strings to give appropriate chords. As is evident the operator may by elevating the stick pass inoperatively over such of the keys as are to be unemployed. The strings 12 are also played as an accompaniment by the erformer picking the same.

V ile the music obtainable by this instru ment can be made to correspond with various of the standard types, as for example, the guitar, mandolin, harp, piano, or violin, I have explained the manner of operating the instrument only when employed as a guitar with a piano accompaniment; other combinations, it is thought, being suggested therefrom sufiicient to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A musical instrument comprised of a body, a bar extending longitudinally of the body and provided with a finger-board thereon, strings provided over the bar, strings over the body to one side thereof, and key actions having keys extending through the finger-board for striking the second. named strings.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination with a body, of a finger-board upon the body, strings provided over said finger-board I tion with the body including a sounding board with spaced apertures therein, of a bar secured to said body and provided with a finger-board thereon, pairs of strings extending longitudinally of the body and above the respective apertures, a hammer for each such aperture, levers, fulcrum-supports for said levers secured within the body and disposed to afford arms of unequal length to each lever, the longer of such arms being connected to the respective hammers and a key supported upon the shorter arm of each lever, said keys extending through said finger-board and normally protruding thereabove, said keys being formed with convex upper extremities, and strings extending longitudinally above the finger-board.

GEORGE T. LEWIS. W'itnesses PIERRE BARNES, F. M. WILLIAMs. 

